Swapping steaks for crickets can cut greenhouse gas pollution and slow species extinction, but persuading people to eat them will be tricky.
The maggot-like larvae of lesser mealworms — a type of shiny black beetle — and house crickets will become the third and fourth insects that can be sold as food for people in the European Union. Eight more applications await approval.
On Tuesday, the EU gave the green light to the sale of the larvae in powder, frozen, paste and dried forms. The crickets can be sold as partially defatted powder.
For many Europeans, the thought of eating creatures that wriggle or crawl in any form isn’t exactly appealing. But insects, already a delicacy in high-end restaurants around the world, are a normal and healthy part of diets in countries from Mexico to Thailand. They have also captured the attention of scientists and businesses looking to clean up farming and feed the Insects are more commonly eaten in Asia, Africa and South America than in Europe and North AmericaImage: AFLO/imago images
Cutting meat emissions a ‘huge challenge’
Most of the planet-heating pollution from food, which accounts for about one-quarter of global warming, comes from meat and dairy. Cows and sheep belch methane, a strong but short-lived greenhouse gas, and farmers raze forests to make pastures and grow soy, three-quarters of which is fed to livestock.
If fried crickets and mealworm salads replace some…
Read full story: Insects on the menu as EU approves two for human consumption – DW – 01/24/2023